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Sam Smith’s Heartbreaking New Song Is His ‘Most Personal’ Yet

'Burning' might be his most moving ballad since 'Stay With Me'

Remember the first time you heard Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me?” Chances are, you cried your eyes out or, at the very least, got goosebumps from hearing him sing so beautifully about something so heartbreaking. Well, folks, the British crooner has done it again, releasing a poignant ballad that’ll tug hard at your heartstrings.

On Friday (October 27), Smith released “Burning,” a melancholic piano ballad in which he sings about the regret and longing he felt in the aftermath of a breakup. “I’ve been burning up since you left,” he admits, repenting for smoking too many cigarettes and losing too many friends.

In an interview with BBC Radio’s MistaJam, Smith said “Burning” is his favorite song from his forthcoming album, The Thrill of It All.

“It’s the most personal song I’ve ever written in my life,” he revealed. “I was going through a really tough time last year. I live in London, and I went through a breakup. And I dealt with the breakup in a bad way, and I was just going out way too much. I was burning, in a way.”

Music is therapy to Smith, but after that breakup, it took him six weeks to beat writer’s block and get back into the studio. When he finally did, “Burning” was the first song he wrote.

“I let everything go in that song,” Smith said. “And that song to me is about fame as well, and the responsibilities I felt and the pressure and my relationship with my voice and how I was a bit rebellious last year. It’s about self-destruction.”

“Burning” is the third taste we’ve gotten of The Thrill of It All, following “Too Good at Goodbyes” and “Pray.” The album arrives on November 3.

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